11 homes in Denville flood zone to be demolished under deal with town

Floodwaters from Tropical Storm Irene completely shut down Route 46 in Denville on the morning of Aug. 28, 2011.Steve Hockstein/For The Star-Ledger

DENVILLE — During Tropical Storm Irene, the Denville Fire Department sent a boat to rescue Joe and Rosa Hart from a second-floor window of their house.

"The water came up pretty fast," Joe Hart recalled, noting that it had risen halfway toward the ceiling of their second-floor kitchen.

But the Harts, who were flooded out of their home next to the Rockaway River three times in 14 years, aren’t anticipating any more high-seas adventures.

The Harts are among the owners of 11 homes on Denville’s Riverside Drive who have finalized agreements to sell their houses to the township, which will demolish the structures under a program administered by Morris County. The vacant land will be permanently preserved as open space.

The Harts were among the first four homeowners to close on their sales this month. They have bought a house in nearby Randolph and moved there.

"We can’t even see water," Joe Hart said cheerfully.

He said he feels "fortunate that no one was killed" in the August 2011 storm that caused more damage to Denville homes than Hurricane Sandy.

In March, the Morris County freeholders set aside $16 million from the county’s open-space fund to buy flood-prone residential properties as it established its flood mitigation program.

The program is now moving forward with the 11 Denville purchases finalized and 66 more approved and in negotiations in Lincoln Park, Parsippany, Pequannock and Riverdale.

"It’s impressive how responsive the towns have been on behalf of the residents," said Jennifer McCulloch, coordinator of the program.

"We’ve already encumbered half the funding," she said, reporting that $7.5 million of the $16 million has been allocated.

Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s commitment to home purchases as part of the program presently totals $51.18 million, according to data provided by McCulloch.

"We still have applications coming in," all from Irene, she added.

Former freeholder Gene Feyl, who headed the move to create the program last spring, said it would likely continue for many years, to alleviate the frequent flooding problems faced by residents in some areas.

Occurrences since then have only reinforced that likelihood, McCulloch said.

"Given what we’ve seen with Sandy, these extreme weather events aren’t going away any time soon," she said.

Money for the home purchases comes through two funding mechanisms, McCulloch noted.

Of the 77 homes approved for purchase thus far in the five communities, 62 will receive 75 percent of their funds from FEMA and the other 25 percent from the county, McCulloch said.

The remaining 15 homes will receive 75 percent of their funds from the county and the other 25 percent from their community’s state-provided Green Acres funding, she added.

In Denville, the county is contributing $1.4 million of the $3.02 million overall acquisition cost for the 11 homes, with an average home price of $275,000, McCulloch said.

After buying the homes, municipalities have 90 days to demolish them, noted Steven Ward, the business administrator for Denville Township.

The empty land where the 11 houses now stand will be converted into community "rain gardens," featuring plants with "greater water retention," Ward said.

Township officials have met with members of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service, who are helping plan the new community gardens with plants that "absorb the water" and serve as a "buffer" to "mitigate future flooding," Ward said.

Ward said the township will also be seeking input from neighbors on plans for the vacant land, which might also include nature trails.

A grateful Hart said he plans to visit his old neighborhood when the gardens are in place.